Apparatus, system, and method for adaptive-rate shifting of streaming content

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for adaptive-rate shifting of streaming content includes an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets. The agent controller module is further configured to continuously monitor streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly request higher or lower quality streamlets. A staging module is configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player. A system includes a data communications network, a content server coupled to the data communications network and having a content module configured to process content and generate a plurality of high and low quality streams, and the apparatus. A method includes simultaneously requesting at least portions of a plurality of streamlets, continuously monitoring streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly requesting higher or lower quality streamlets, and staging the streamlets and arranging the streamlets for playback on a content player.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/506,831 entitled “APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC RATE SHIFTING OF STREAMING CONTENT” and filed on Apr. 30, 2004 for R. Drew Major and Mark B. Hurst, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to video streaming over packet (witched networks such as the Internet, and more particularly relates to adaptive-rate shining of streaming content over such networks.

Description of the Related Art

The Internet is fast becoming a preferred method for distributing media files to end users. It is currently possible to download music or video to computers, cell phones, or practically any network capable device. Many portable media players are equipped with network connections and enabled lo play music or videos. The music or video files (hereinafter “media files”) can be stored locally on the media player or computer, or streamed or downloaded from a server.

“Streaming media” refers to technology that delivers content at a rate sufficient for presenting the media to a user in real time as the data is received. The data may be stored in memory temporarily until played and then subsequently deleted. The user has the immediate satisfaction of viewing the requested content without waiting for the media file to completely download. Unfortunately, the audio/video quality that can be received for real time presentation is constrained by the available bandwidth of the user's network connection. Streaming may be used to deliver content on demand (previously recorded) or from live broadcasts.

Alternatively, media files may be downloaded and stored on persistent storage devices, such as hard drives or optical storage, for later presentation. Downloading complete media tiles can take large amounts of time depending on the network connection. Once downloaded, however, the content can be viewed repeatedly anytime or anywhere. Media files prepared for downloading usually are encoded with a higher quality audio/video than can be delivered in real time. Users generally dislike this option, as they tend to want to see or hear the media file instantaneously.

Streaming offers the advantage of immediate access to the content but currently sacrifices quality compared with downloading a file of the same content. Streaming also provides the opportunity for a user to select different content for viewing on an ad hoc basis, while downloading is by definition restricted to receiving a specific content selection in its entirety or not at all. Downloading also supports rewind, fast forward, and direct seek operations, while streaming is unable to fully support these functions. Streaming is also vulnerable to network failures or congestion.

Another technology, known as “progressive downloads,” attempts to combine the strengths of the above two technologies. When a progressive download is initiated, the media file download begins, and the media player waits to begin playback until there is enough of the file downloaded that playback can begin with the hope that the remainder of the file will be completely downloaded before playback “catches up.” This waiting period before playback can be substantial depending on network conditions, and therefore is not a complete or fully acceptable solution to the problem of media presentation over a network.

Generally, three basic challenges exist with regard to data transport streaming over a network such as the Internet that has a varying amount of data loss. The first challenge is reliability. Most streaming solutions use a TCP connection, or “virtual circuit,” for transmitting data. A TCP connection provides a guaranteed delivery mechanism so that data sent from one endpoint will be delivered to the destination, even if portions are lost and retransmitted. A break in the continuity of a TCP connection can have serious consequences when the data must be delivered in real-time. When a network adapter detects delays or losses in a TCP connection, the adapter “backs off” from transmission attempts for a moment and then slowly resumes the original transmission pace. This behavior is an attempt to alleviate the perceived congestion. Such a slowdown is detrimental to the viewing or listening experience of the user and therefore is not acceptable.

The second challenge to data transport is efficiency. Efficiency refers to how well the user's available bandwidth is used for delivery of the content stream. This measure is directly related to the reliability of the TCP connection. When the TCP connection is suffering reliability problems, a loss of bandwidth utilization results. The measure of efficiency sometimes varies suddenly, and can greatly impact the viewing experience.

The third challenge is latency. Latency is the time measure form the client's point-of-view, of the interval between when a request is issued and the response data begins to arrive. This value is affected by the network connection's reliability and efficiency, and the processing time required by the origin to prepare the response. A busy or overloaded server, for example, will take more time to process a request. As well as affecting the start time of a particular request, latency has a significant impact on the network throughput of TCP.

From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method that alleviate the problems of reliability, efficiency, and latency. Additionally, such an apparatus, system, and method would offer instantaneous viewing along with the ability to fast forward, rewind, direct seek, and browse multiple streams. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would utilize multiple connections between a source and destination, requesting varying bitrate streams depending upon network conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available content streaming systems. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide an apparatus, system, and method for adaptive-rate content streaming that overcome many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art.

The apparatus for adaptive-rate content streaming is provided with a logic unit containing a plurality of modules configured to functionally execute the necessary steps. These modules in the described embodiments include an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request a plurality of streamlets, the agent controller module further configured to continuously monitor streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly request higher or lower quality streamlets, and a staging module configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player.

The apparatus is further configured, in one embodiment, to establish multiple Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections with a content server, and request streamlets of varying bitrates. Each streamlet may further comprise a portion of a content file. Additionally, the agent controller module may be configured to generate a performance factor according to responses from streamlet requests.

In a further embodiment, the agent controller module is configured to upshift to a higher quality streamlet when the performance factor is greater than a threshold, and the agent controller module determines the higher quality playback can be sustained according to a combination of factors. The factors may include an amount of contiguously available streamlets stored in the staging module, a minimum safety margin, and a current read ahead margin.

The agent controller module may be configured to downshift to a lower quality streamlet when the performance factor is less than a second threshold. Also, the agent controller module is further configured to anticipate streamlet requests and pre-request streamlets to enable fast-forward, skip randomly, and rewind functionality. In one embodiment, the agent controller module is configured to initially request low quality streamlets to enable instant playback of the content file, and subsequent upshifting according to the performance factor.

A system of the present invention is also presented to adaptive-rate content streaming In particular, the system, in one embodiment, includes a data communications network, and a content server coupled to the data communications network and having a content module configured to process content and generate a plurality of high and low quality streams. In one embodiment, each of the high and low quality streams may include a plurality of streamlets.

In a further embodiment, the system also includes an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request a plurality of streamlets, the agent controller module further configured to continuously monitor streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly request higher or lower quality streamlets, and a staging module configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets tor playback on a content player.

A method of the present invention is alto presented for adaptive-rate content streaming. The method in the disclosed embodiments substantially includes the steps necessary to carry out the functions presented above with respect to the operation of the described apparatus and system. In one embodiment, the method includes simultaneously requesting a plurality of streamlets, continuously monitoring streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly requesting higher or lower quality streamlets, and staging the streamlets and arranging the streamlets for playback on a content player.

In a further embodiment, the method may include establishing multiple Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections with a content server, and requesting streamlets of varying bitrates. Also, the method may include generating a performance factor according to responses from streamlet requests, upshifting to a higher quality streamlet when the performance factor is greater than a threshold, and determining if the higher quality playback can be sustained. Furthermore, the method may include downshifting to a lower quality streamlet when the performance factor is less than a second threshold.

In one embodiment, the method includes anticipating streamlet requests and pre-requesting streamlets to enable fast-forward, skip randomly, and rewind functionality. The method may also comprise initially requesting low quality streamlets to enable instant playback of a content file, and subsequent upshifting according to the performance factor.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system for adaptive rate shifting of streaming content in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2a is a schematic block diagram graphically illustrating one embodiment of a content file in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a plurality of streams having varying degrees of quality and bandwidth in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2c is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a stream divided into a plurality of streamlets in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a content module in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram graphically illustrating one embodiment of a client module in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for processing content in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for playback of a plurality of streamlets in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for requesting streamlets within an adaptive-rate content streaming environment in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Many of the functional units described in this specification have been labeled as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a module may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semi conductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or the like.

Modules may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified module of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module.

Indeed, a module of executable code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

Reference to a signal bearing medium may take any form capable of generating a signal, causing a signal to be generated, or causing execution of a program of machine-readable instructions on a digital processing apparatus. A signal bearing medium may be embodied by a transmission line, a compact disk, digital-video disk, a magnetic tape, a Bernoulli drive, a magnetic disk, a punch card, flash memory, integrated circuits, or other digital processing apparatus memory device.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system 100 for dynamic rate shifting of streaming content in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment, the system 100 comprises a content server 102 and an end user 104. The content server 102 and the end user station 104 may be coupled by a data communications network. The data communications network may include the Internet 106 and connections 108 to the Internet 106. Alternatively, the content server 102 and the end user 104 may be located on a common local area network, wireless area network, cellular network, virtual local area network, or the like. The end user station 104 may comprise a personal computer (PC), an entertainment system configured to communicate over a network, or a portable electronic device configured lo present content.

In the depicted embodiment, the system 100 also includes a publisher 110, and a web server 116. The publisher 110 may be a creator or distributor of content. For example, if the content lobe streamed were a broadcast of a television program, the publisher 110 may be a television or cable network channel such as NBC®, or MTV®. Content may be transferred over the Internet 106 to the content server 102, where the content is received by a content module 112. The content module 112 may be configured to receive, process, and store content. In one embodiment, processed content is accessed by a client module 114 configured to play the content on the end user station 104. In a further embodiment, the client module 114 is configured to receive different portions of a content stream from a plurality of legations simultaneously. For example, the client module 114 may request and receive content from any of the plurality of web servers 116.

FIG. 2a is a schematic block diagram graphically illustrating one embodiment of a content file 200. In one embodiment, the content file 200 is distributed by the publisher 110. The content file 200 may comprise a television broadcast, sports event, movie, music, concert, etc. The content file 200 may also be live or archived content. The content file 200 may comprise uncompressed video and audio, or alternatively, video or audio. Additionally, the content file 200 may be compressed. Examples of a compressed content file 200 include, but are not limited to, DivX®, Windows Media Video 9®, Quicktime 6.5 Sorenson 3®, or Quicktime 6.5/MPEG-4® encoded content.

FIG. 2b is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a plurality of streams 202 having varying degrees of quality and bandwidth. In one embodiment, the plurality of streams 202 comprises a low quality stream 204, a medium quality stream 206, and a high quality stream 208. Each of the streams 204, 206, 208 is a copy of the content file 200 encoded and compressed to varying bit rates. For example, the low quality stream 204 may be encoded and compressed to a bit rate of 100 kilobits per second (kbps), the medium quality stream 206 may be encoded and compressed to a bit rate of 200 kbps, and the high quality stream 208 may be encoded and compressed to 600 kbps.

FIG. 2c is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a stream 210 divided into a plurality of streamlets 212. As used herein, streamlet refers to any sized portion of the content file 200. Each streamlet 212 may comprise a portion of the content contained in stream 110, encapsulated as an independent media object. The content in a streamlet 212 may have a unique time index in relation to the beginning of the content contained in stream 210. In one embodiment, the content contained in each streamlet 212 has a duration of two seconds. For example, streamlet 0 may have a time index of 00:00 representing the beginning of content playback, and streamlet 1 may have a time index of 00:02, and so on. Alternatively, the time duration of the streamlets 212 may be any duration smaller than the entire playback duration of the content in stream 210. In a further embodiment, the streamlets 212 may be divided according to file size instead of a time index.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating in greater detail one embodiment of the content module 112 in accordance with the present invention. The content module 112 may comprise a stream module 302, a streamlet module 304, an encoder module 306, a streamlet database 308, and the web server 116. In one embodiment, the stream module 302 is configured to receive the content file 200 from the publisher 110 and generate the plurality of streams 202 of varying qualities. The original content file 200 from the publisher may be digital in form and may comprise content having a high bit rate such as, for example, 2 mbps. The content may be transferred from the publisher 110 to the content module 112 over the Internet 106. Such transfers of data are well known in the art and do not require further discussion herein. Alternatively, the content may comprise a captured broadcast.

In the depicted embodiment, the plurality of streams 202 may comprise the low quality stream 204, the medium quality stream 206, and the high quality stream 208. Alternatively, the plurality of streams 202 may comprise any number of streams deemed necessary to accommodate end user bandwidth. The streamlet module 304 may be configured to receive the plurality of streams 202 from the stream module and generate a plurality of streams 312, each stream comprising a plurality of streamlets 212. As described with reference to FIG. 2 c, each streamlet 212 may comprise a pre-defined portion of the stream. The encoder module 306 is configured to encode each streamlet from the plurality of streams 312 and store the streamlets in the streamlet database 308 The encoding module 306 may utilize encoding schemes such as DivX®, Windows Media Video 9®, Quicktime 6.5 Sorenson 3®, or Quicktime 6.5/MPEG-4®. Alternatively, a custom encoding scheme may be employed.

The content module 112 may also include a metadata module 312 and a metadata database 314. In one embodiment, metadata comprises static searchable content information. For example, metadata includes, but is not limited to, air date of the content, title, actresses, actors, length, and episode name. Metadata is generated by the publisher 110, and may be configured to define an end user environment. In one embodiment, the publisher 100 may define an end user navigational environment for the content including menus, thumbnails, sidebars, advertising, etc. Additionally, the publisher 110 may define functions such as fast forward, rewind, pause, sad play that may be used with the content file 200. The metadata module 312 is configured to receive the metadata from the publisher 110 and store the metadata in the metadata database 314. In a further embodiment, the metadata module 312 is configured to interface with the client module 114, allowing the client module 114 to search for content based upon at least one of a plurality of metadata criteria. Additionally, metadata may be generated by the content module 112 through automated processes or manual definition.

Once the streamlets 212 have been received and processed, the client module 114 may request streamlets 212 using HTTP from the web server 116. Such use of client side initiated requests requires no additional configuration of firewalls. Additionally, since the client module 114 initiates the request, the web server 116 is only required to retrieve and serve the requested streamlet. In a further embodiment, the client module 114 may be configured to retrieve streamlets 212 from a plurality of web servers 310. Each web server 116 may be located in various locations across the Internet 106. The streamlets 212 are essentially static files. As such, no specialized media server or server-side intelligence is required for a client module 114 to retrieve streamlets 212. Streamlets 212 may be served by the web server 116 or cached by cache servers of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), or any ether network infrastructure operators, and served by the cache server. Use of cache servers is well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be discussed further herein. Thus, a highly scalable solution is provided that is not hindered by massive amounts of client module 114 requests to the web server 116 at any specific location.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram graphically illustrating one embodiment of a client module 114 in accordance with the present invention. The client module 114 may comprise an agent controller module 402, a streamlet cache module 404, and a network controller module 406. In one embodiment, the agent controller module 402 is configured to interface with a viewer 408, and transmit streamlets 212 to the viewer 408. In a further embodiment, the client module 114 may comprise a plurality of agent controller modules 402. Each agent controller module 402 may be configured to interface with one viewer 408. Alternatively, the agent controller module 402 may be configured to interface with a plurality of viewers 408. The viewer 408 may be a media player (not shown) operating on a PC or handheld electronic device.

The agent controller module 402 is configured to select a quality level of streamlets to transmit to the viewer 408 The agent controller module 402 requests lower or higher quality streams based upon continuous observation of time intervals between successive receive times of each requested streamlet. The method of requesting higher or lower quality streams will be discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 7.

The agent controller module 402 may be configured to receive user commands from the viewer 408. Such commands may include play, fast forward, rewind, pause, and stop. In one embodiment, the agent controller module 402 requests streamlets 212 from the streamlet cache module 404 and arranges the received streamlets 212 in a staging module 409. The staging module 409 may be configured to arrange the streamlets 212 in order of ascending playback time. In the depicted embodiment, the streamlets 212 are numbered 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. However, each streamlet 212 may be identified with a unique filename.

Additionally, the agent controller module 402 may be configured to anticipate streamlet 212 requests and pre-request streamlets 212. By pre-requesting streamlets 212, the user may fast-forward, skip randomly, or rewind through the content and experience no buffering delay. In a further embodiment, the agent controller module 402 may request the streamlets 212 that correspond to time index intervals of 30 seconds within the total play time of the content. Alternatively, the agent controller module 402 may request streamlets at any interval less than the length of the time index. This enables a “fast-start” capability with no buffering wait when starting or fast-forwarding through content file 200. In a further embodiment, the agent controller module 402 may be configured to pre-request streamlets 212 corresponding to specified index points within the content or within other content in anticipation of the end user 104 selecting new content to view.

In one embodiment, the streamlet cache module 404 is configured to receive streamlet 212 requests from the agent controller module 402. Upon receiving a request, the streamlet cache module 404 first checks a streamlet cache 410 to verify if the streamlet 212 is present. In a further embodiment, the streamlet cache module 404 handles streamlet 212 requests from a plurality of agent controller modules 402. Alternatively, a streamlet cache module 404 may be provided for each agent controller module 402. If the requested streamlet 212 is not present in the streamlet cache 410 the request is passed to the network controller module 406. In order to enable fast forward and rewind capabilities, the streamlet cache module 404 is configured to store the plurality of streamlets 212 in the streamlet cache 410 for a specified time period after the streamlet 212 has been viewed. However, once the streamlets 212 have been deleted, they maybe requested again from the web server 116.

The network controller module 406 may be configured to receive streamlet requests from the streamlet cache module 404 and open a connection to the web server 116 or other remote streamlet 212 database (not shown). In one embodiment, the network controller module 406 opens a TCP/IP connection to the web server 116 and generates a standard HTTP GET request for the requested streamlet 212. Upon receiving the requested streamlet 212, the network controller module 406 passes the streamlet 212 to the streamlet cache module 404 where it is stored in the streamlet cache 410. In a further embodiment, the network controller module 406 is configured to process and request a plurality of streamlets 212 simultaneously. The network controller module 406 may also be configured to request a plurality of streamlets, where each streamlet 212 is subsequently requested in multiple parts.

In a further embodiment, streamlet requests may comprise requesting pieces of any streamlet file. Splitting the streamlet 212 into smaller pieces or portions beneficially allows for an increased efficiency potential, and also eliminates problems associated with multiple full-streamlet requests sharing the bandwidth at any given moment. This is achieved by using parallel TCP/IP connections for pieces of the streamlets 212. Consequently, efficiency and network loss problems are overcome, and the streamlets arrive with more useful and predictable timing.

In one embodiment, the client module 114 is configured to use multiple TCP connections between the client module 114 and the web server 116 or web cache. The intervention of a cache may be transparent to the client or configured by the client as a forward cache. By requesting more than one streamlet 212 at a time in a manner referred to as “parallel retrieval,” or more than one pan of a streamlet 212 at a time, efficiency is raised significantly and latency is virtually eliminated. In a further embodiment, the client module allows a maximum of three outstanding streamlet 212 requests. The client module 114 may maintain additional open TCP connections as spares to be available should another connection fail. Streamlet 212 requests are rotated among all open connections to keep the TCP flow logic for any particular connection from failing into a slow-start or close mode, if the network controller module 406 has requested a streamlet 212 in multiple parts, with each part requested on mutually independent TCP/IP connections, the network controller module 400 reassembles the parts to present a complete streamlet 212 for use by all other components of the client module 114.

When a TCP connection fails completely, a new request may be sent on a different connection for the same streamlet 212. In a further embodiment, if a request is not being satisfied in a timely manner, a redundant request may be sent on a different connection for the same streamlet 212. If the first streamlet request's response arrives before the redundant request response, the redundant request can be aborted. If the redundant request response arrives before the first request response, the first request may be aborted.

Several streamlet 212 requests may be sent on a single TCP connection, and the responses are caused to flow back in matching order along the same connection. This eliminates all but the first request latency. Because multiple responses are always being transmitted, the processing latency of each new streamlet 212 response after the first is not a factor in performance. This technique is known in the industry as “pipelining.” Pipelining offers efficiency in request-response processing by eliminating most of the effects of request latency. However, pipelining has serious vulnerabilities. Transmission delays affect all of the responses. If the single TCP connection fails, all of the outstanding requests and responses are lost. Pipelining causes a serial dependency between the requests.

Multiple TCP connections may be opened between the client module 114 and the web server 116 to achieve the latency-reduction efficiency benefits of pipelining while maintaining the independence of each streamlet 212 request. Several streamlet 212 requests may be sent concurrently, with each request being sent on a mutually distinct TCP connection This technique is labeled “virtual pipelining” and is an innovation of the present invention. Multiple responses may be in transit concurrently, assuring that communication bandwidth between the client module 114 and the web server 116 is always being utilized. Virtual pipelining eliminates the vulnerabilities of traditional pipelining. A delay in or complete failure of one response does not affect the transmission of other responses because each response occupies an independent TCP connection. Any transmission bandwidth not in use by one of multiple responses (whether due to delays or TCP connection failure) may be utilized by other outstanding responses.

A single streamlet 212 request may be issued for an entire streamlet 212, or multiple requests may be issued, each for a different part or portion of the streamlet. If the streamlet is requested in several parts, the parts may be recombined by the client module 114 streamlet.

In order to maintain a proper balance between maximized bandwidth utilization and response time, the issuance of new streamlet requests must be timed such that the web server 116 does not transmit the response before the client module 114 has fully received a response to one of the previously outstanding streamlet requests. For example, if three streamlet 212 requests are outstanding, the client module 114 should issue the next request slightly before one of the three responses is fully received and “out of the pipe.” In other words, request timing is adjusted to keep three responses in transit. Sharing of bandwidth among four responses diminishes the net response time of the other three responses. The timing adjustment may be calculated dynamically by observation, and the request timing adjusted accordingly to maintain the proper balance of efficiency and response times.

The schematic flow chart diagrams that follow are generally set forth as logical flow chart diagrams. As such, the depicted order and labeled steps are indicative of one embodiment of the presented method. Other steps and methods may be conceived that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more steps, or portions thereof, of the illustrated method. Additionally, the format and symbols employed are provided to explain the logical steps of the method and are understood not to limit the scope of the method. Although various arrow types and line types may be employed in the flow chart diagrams, they are understood not to limit the scope of the corresponding method. Indeed, some arrows or other connectors may be used to indicate only the logical flow of the method. For instance, an arrow may indicate a waiting or monitoring period of unspecified duration between enumerated steps of the depicted method. Additionally, the order in which a particular method occurs may or may not strictly adhere to the order of the corresponding steps shown.

FIG. 5 is a schematic (low chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method 500 for processing content in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment the method 500 starts 502, and the content module 112 receives 504 content from the publisher 110. Receiving content 504 may comprise receiving 504 a digital copy of the content file 200, or digitizing a physical copy of the content file 200. Alternatively, receiving 504 content may comprise capturing a radio or television broadcast. Once received 504, the stream module 302 generates 506 a plurality of streams 202, each stream 202 having a different quality. The quality may be predefined, or automatically set according to end user bandwidth, or in response to pre-designated publisher guidelines.

The streamlet module 304 receives the streams 202 and generates 508 a plurality of streamlets 212. In one embodiment, generating 508 streamlets comprises dividing the stream 202 into a plurality of two second streamlets 212. Alternatively, the streamlets may have any length less than or equal to the length of the stream 202 The encoder module 306 then encodes 510 the streamlets according to a compression algorithm. In a further embodiment, the algorithm comprises a proprietary codec such as WMV9®. The encoder module 306 then stores 512 the encoded streamlets in the streamlet database 308. Once stored 512, the web server 116 may then serve 514 the streamlets. In one embodiment, serving 514 the streamlets comprises receiving streamlet requests from the client module 114, retrieving the requested streamlet from the streamlet database 308, and subsequently transmitting the streamlet to the client module 114. The method 500 then ends 516.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method 600 for viewing a plurality of streamlets in accordance with the present invention. The method 600 starts and an agent control module 402 is provided 604 and associated with a viewer 408 and provided with a staging module 409. The agent controller module 402 then requests 606 a streamlet from the streamlet cache module 404. Alternatively, the agent controller module 402 may simultaneously request 606 a plurality of streamlets from the streamlet cache module 404. If the streamlet is stored 608 locally in the streamlet cache 410, the streamlet cache module 404 retrieves 610 the streamlet and sends the streamlet to the agent controller module 402. Upon retrieving 610 or receiving a streamlet, the agent controller module 402 makes 611 a determination of whether or not to shift to a higher or lower quality stream 202. This determination will be described below in greater detail with reference to FIG. 7.

In one embodiment, the staging module 409 then arranges 612 the streamlets into the proper order, and the agent controller module 402 delivers 614 the streamlets to the viewer 408. In a further embodiment, delivering 614 streamlets to the end user comprises playing video and or audio streamlets on the viewer 408. If the streamlets are not stored 608 locally, the streamlet request is passed to the network controller module 406. The network controller module 406 then requests 616 the streamlet from the web server 116. Once the streamlet is received, the network controller module 406 passes the streamlet to the streamlet cache module 404 The streamlet cache module 404 archives 618 the streamlet. Alternatively, the streamlet cache module 404 then archives 618 the streamlet and passes the streamlet to the agent controller module 402, and the method 600 then continues from operation 610 as described above.

Referring now to FIG. 7, shown therein is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method 700 for requesting streamlets within a adaptive-rate shifting content streaming environment in accordance with the present invention. The method 700 may be used in one embodiment as the operation 611 of FIG. 6. The method 700 starts and the agent controller module 402 receives 704 a streamlet as described above with reference to FIG. 6. The agent controller module 402 then monitors 706 the receive time of the requested streamlet. In one embodiment, the agent controller module 402 monitors the time intervals Δ between successive receive times for each streamlet response. Ordering of the responses in relation to the order of their corresponding requests is not relevant.

Because network behavioral characteristics fluctuate, sometimes quite suddenly, any given Δ may vary substantially from another. In order to compensate for this fluctuation, the agent controller module 402 calculates 708 a performance ratio r across a window of n samples for streamlets of playback length S. In one embodiment, the performance ratio r is calculated using the equation

$r = {S{\frac{n}{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{n}\; \Delta_{i}}.}}$

Due to multiple simultaneous streamlet processing, and in order to better judge the central tendency of the performance ration r, the agent control module 402 may calculate a geometric mean, or alternatively an equivalent averaging algorithm, across a window of size m, and obtain a performance factor φ:

$\phi_{current} = {\left( {\prod\limits_{j = 1}^{m}\; r_{j}} \right)^{\frac{1}{m}}.}$

The policy determination about whether or not to upshift 710 playback quality begins by comparing φ_(current) with a trigger threshold Θ_(up). If φ_(current)≥Θ_(up), then an up shift to the next higher quality stream may be considered 716. In one embodiment, the trigger threshold Θ_(up) is determined by a combination of factors relating to the current read ahead margin (i.e. the amount of contiguously available streamlets that have been sequentially arranged by the staging module 409 for presentation at the current playback time index), and a minimum safety margin. In one embodiment, the minimum safety margin may be 24 seconds. The smaller the read ahead margin, the larger Θ_(up) is to discourage upshifting until a larger read ahead margin may be established to withstand network disruptions. If the agent controller module 402 is able to sustain 716 upshift quality, then the agent controller module 402 will upshift 717 the quality and subsequently request higher quality streams. The determination of whether use of the higher quality stream is sustainable 716 is made by comparing an estimate of the higher quality stream's performance factor, φ_(higher), with Θ_(up). If φ_(higher)≥Θ_(up) then use of the higher quality stream is considered sustainable. If the decision of whether or not the higher stream rate is sustainable 716 is “no,” the agent control module 402 will not attempt to upshift 717 stream quality. If the end of the stream has been reached 714, the method 618 ends 716.

If the decision on whether or not to attempt upshift 710 is “no”, a decision about whether or not to downshift 712 is made. In one embodiment, a trigger threshold Θ_(down) is defined in a manner analogous to Θ_(up). If φ_(current)>Θ_(down) then the stream quality may be adequate, and the agent controller module 402 does not downshift 718 stream quality. However, if φ_(current)≤Θ_(down), the agent controller module 402 does downshift 718 the stream quality. If the end of the stream has not been reached 714, the agent controller module 402 begins to request and receive 704 lower quality streamlets and the method 618 starts again. Of course, the above described equations and algorithms are illustrative only, and may be replaced by alternative streamlet monitoring solutions.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for adaptive-rate content streaming, the apparatus comprising; an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets; the agent controller module further configured to continuously monitor the progress of subsequent responses to streamlet requests, and in accordance with the progress of the responses, request higher or lower quality streamlets; and a staging module configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the agent controller module is configured to establish multiple Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections with a content server, and request streamlets of varying bitrates.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each streamlet further comprises a portion of a content file.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the streamlet comprises a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol file.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the agent controller module is configured to generate a performance factor according to the responses to streamlet requests.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the agent controller module is configured to upshift to a higher quality streamlet when the performance factor is greater than a selected threshold and the agent controller module determines the higher quality playback can be sustained according to a combination of factors.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the combination of factors is selected from the group consisting of an amount of contiguously available streamlets stored in the staging module, a minimum safety margin, and a current read ahead margin.
 8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the agent controller module is configured to downshift to a lower quality streamlet when the performance factor is less than a second selected threshold.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the agent controller module is further configured to anticipate streamlet requests and pre-request streamlets to enable fast-forward, skip randomly, and rewind functionality.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the agent controller module is configured to initially request low quality streamlets to enable instant playback of the content file, and subsequent upshifting according to the performance factor.
 11. A system for adaptive-rate content streaming, the system comprising: a data communications network; a content server coupled to the data communications network and having a content module configured to process content and generate a plurality of high and low quality streams; each of the high and low quality streams comprising a plurality of streamlets; an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets; the agent controller module further configured to continuously monitor the progress of subsequent responses to streamlet requests, and in accordance with the progress of the responses, request higher or lower quality streamlets; and a staging module configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the agent controller module is configured to establish multiple Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections with the content server, and request streamlets of varying bitrates.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein each streamlet further comprises a portion of a content file.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the agent controller module is configured to generate a performance factor according to the responses to streamlet requests.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent controller module is configured to upshift to a higher quality streamlet when the performance factor is greater than a selected threshold and the agent controller module determines the higher quality playback can be sustained according to a combination of factors.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the combination of factors is selected from the group consisting of an amount of contiguously available streamlets stored in the staging module, a minimum safety margin, and a current read ahead margin.
 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent controller module is configured to downshift to a lower quality streamlet when the performance factor is less than a second selected threshold.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the agent controller module is further configured to anticipate streamlet requests and pre-request streamlets to enable fast-forward, skip randomly, and rewind functionality.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the agent controller module is configured to initially request low quality streamlets to enable instant playback of the content file, and subsequent upshifting according to the performance factor.
 20. A method for presenting rate-adaptive streams, the method comprising: simultaneously requesting at least portions of a plurality of streamlets; continuously monitoring the progress of subsequent responses to streamlet requests, and in accordance with the progress of the responses, requesting higher or lower quality streamlets; and staging the streamlets and arranging the streamlets for playback on a content player. 